Mother and 1-year-old son shot, killed in Graniteville

GRAINITEVILLE, S.C. (WJBF) — The Aiken County Coroner’s Office along with the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a shooting that claimed the life of a Graniteville woman and her child. Investigators believe the shooting is gang-related and that the victims were not the intended targets.

“This is the first time I ever seen something happen like this before. And it’s just very tragic to me,” an unidentified woman told NewsChannel 6’s Shawn Cabbagestalk.

Deputies responded to 105 Kalmia Apartments Drive for reports of a shooting just after 11 p.m., Tuesday, December 17.

Mel’lisha Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 1-year-old Elijah died a short time later at a local hospital.

One woman who lived in the Kalmia Apartments who did not want to be identified said now she’s concerned for her children’s safety.

“I don’t want to be home and you know, somebody else come out here shooting again and a bullet, don’t know nobody,” she said.

The woman was home at the time of the incident. She remembered hearing gunshots at the time. “What woke me up was the dogs when they came behind my house and start barking. So I mean I was home but I just didn’t know what was going on. But I just heard the bark cause was like right at my window. So I went back to sleep,” she recalled.

Authorities have released ring doorbell video of three persons of interest going to a vehicle — presumably following the incident. After being startled by what could be police, they changed courses going in the opposite direction.

Each of the suspects appears to be between 5’7″ to 5’11” in height. In the attached video, one of the suspects is wearing a dark color jacket with a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. The second suspect is wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with black sweatpants with a red stripe. The third suspect is seen wearing a dark color jacket with hood and dark blue pants.

“But I didn’t know this was going on. I find out this morning and then I seem to take when I’m taking my daughter to the bus stop, so it is just tragic for me,” the unidentified woman said.

The suspects fled the area prior to deputies arriving at the scene. They should be considered armed and dangerous.

Autopsies are scheduled for Friday morning in Newberry, South Carolina. The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office is continuing with the investigation.

Meanwhile, right before the incident, a woman reported her car was shot at while leaving Kalmia Apartments. She said that she saw three people standing near a white vehicle, she saw a flash and then heard gunshots.

She later learned her car had three bullet holes. No one was injured in that incident.